


a king has many regrets

by ayselz



Series: regarding those who wander the land of dawn [1]
Category: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, fucken otp, my elven babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 03:18:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17438924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayselz/pseuds/ayselz
Summary: “The Moon Elf King was still a little breathless at the sight of her small smile—curse himself for feeling this way, at an unfortunate time, for someone not within his reach—but he managed a quick nod.Before he second-guessed himself, he blurted out: ‘Walk with me in the lakeside, will you, Moonlight Archer? I have a proposition to make.’”–In which the King of the Emerald Woodland has awakened, in ways more than one.





	a king has many regrets

**Author's Note:**

> Also uploaded in fanfiction.net under the username "ajxqueen," an account I can't access anymore.

Peace was nothing but a fleeting moment of tranquility, but the Moon Elf King vowed to himself that he would do everything in his power to keep it that way. He owed his denizens that much, as he blamed himself greatly for the disaster which has befallen the elves of the Emerald Woodland.

If he was not as weak as he was during the second plane war, then he would not have required to go into deep slumber. If he was only awake when the Queen of the Apocalypse had dared venture into his kingdom, then he would have been able to stop her. If he was only around, then the poor, young, weak-hearted elves would not have succumbed to her charms.

It was only because of a certain brave soul, why his kingdom was saved. The Moonlight Archer, young Miya, with starlight woven into her long hair and the ire of a thousand suns in her arrows, had taken the initiative and led the last stand against the oppressing forces. By the grace of the Moon Goddess herself, they won.

And that was just when Estes himself woke up. Late to the war, full of self-blame on why he kept on disappointing his people, but they rejoiced when they saw him. A monarch brought hope to havoc-wreaked people, he realized grimly.

The Temple of the Moon was in shambles when he walked into it, but somehow, his presence served as a bright beacon, heralding a new beginning. As if now that he had woken up, he would be able to magically restore peace and order to the whole Moonlake, and shield the moon elves from further harm.

This was not easily the case. But he never voiced that out loud. The current bout of peace they were experiencing was something akin to a mere false comfort, as easily blown away as dandelion seeds, but he would never tell his people this. Not when they gazed upon at him with wide, searching eyes, filling with newfound hope and strength.

Estes knew that he would most likely end up as badly injured in the second plane war if he sought out the root of this violence by himself.

That was why he was eyeing an alliance with the famed Moonlight Archer.

“Your Majesty.” She had apparently slipped into his presence without him noticing. A manifestation of the greatest power the Moon has bestowed on her—swiftness like liquid moonlight—and he flushed at the embarrassment of not even paying attention.

The Code of Moonlight lay on his lap, opened to a page filled with the ancient language of elves and numerous intricate runes. Estes was sheepishly relieved that he had the excuse of being too focused in perusing the Code, which was why he had not noticed her come into the makeshift throne room, and not because he was wondering if she would accept an offer which will practically put her life at stake. Again.

He winced at the thought. Miya noticed this, and her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Your Majesty,” she repeated, this time sounding a little cautious, “What’s troubling you?”

Shaking his head, he gently closed the Code of Moonlight. Sparks of blue runes swirled up from the contact of pages, then puffed out in a display of brilliant blue smoke. Estes sighed. “Lots of matters trouble me, Moonlight Archer.”

Deep within him, he hated how he sounded like an old man when he addressed her. He _was_ older, that was certain, but it was a little offending for him to remember it every time he spoke to her in that semi-condescending manner. Miya, faultless she was in his eyes, did not even seem fazed by it.

“I understand, Your Majesty. Running a kingdom on the verge of tearing apart is taxing, I know.” She offered him a curt nod. “You’re actually doing an amazing job at still being calm and put-together in the middle of this mess.”

Was she complimenting him?

Heat rose to his face, and he hid this with a cough. Ducking his head down, the king shrugged stiffly. “It is the way I am. And I do not think acquiring a state of mind as disquiet as the situation at hand would be beneficial to my intents.”

“Which basically is bringing back peace to the Woodland,” Miya supplied, allowing a tiny smile to grace her lips. “And that’s difficult work, Your Majesty. We’re all really relieved to have you back here.”

The Moon Elf King was still a little breathless at the sight of her small smile—curse himself for feeling this way, at an unfortunate time, for someone not within his reach—but he managed a quick nod.

Before he second-guessed himself, he blurted out: “Walk with me in the lakeside, will you, Moonlight Archer? I have a proposition to make.” He glanced around uneasily, simultaneously wondering how he had begun feeling this way. “And I think the lake and the moonlight will help you make your mind up regarding it.”

He searched her face as she weighed her options. They both knew that rejecting the king’s invitation would be considered unethical for a lowly moon elf, regardless if she’d single-handedly led her brethren to battle against humans and orcs alike. Eventually, Miya muttered a soft “Yes.” Despite himself, Estes felt his lips stretch into a rare smile.

The Temple of the Moon opened out into a wide clearing of trimmed grass, a stone path inlaid which led towards the Moonlake. The pair followed it, walking side by side, bathed by moonlight. Nocturnal flowers of deep ceruleans and indigos bloomed by the path’s edges, providing faint whiffs of sweet scent to the night.

“It is surprisingly quiet tonight,” the king broke the silence, gesturing rather awkwardly towards the path ahead, towards the bit of the lake visible from where they where.

“I think the others have developed some kind of fear of the darkness,” Miya responded in a low voice. “They don’t want to be ambushed by evil creatures, even under the protection of the Moon.” It was evident how painful it was for her to witness her fellow elves succumb to such a fear, and it reminded Estes greatly of how young she was, how early in life she had been exposed to danger.

The silence returned, but it was not heavy at all. It was light and comfortable, like the sensation of the rays of moonlight smoothly enveloping them, and Estes let himself relax, bask in the moment at hand. He would fret about his proposition to Miya when they came at the water’s edge.

Hopefully, he would have garnered enough courage by then.

The lake’s waters were as serene as the night itself, as if the entire Emerald Woodland had communed beforehand in giving the Moon Elf King and his Moonlight Archer a peaceful night. They would surely need it, if ever Miya accepted the offer, as they would plunge themselves into greater danger.

They stopped at where the stone path stopped; the lake lapped gently at its banks.

Estes took a deep breath. “Moonlight Archer, I may have not been fully honest with you,” he began.

Apparently surprised, Miya whirled around to face him. This he could not do, because for all of his self-imposed courage, Estes thought that he wouldn’t be able to ask her the question if he gazed into her eyes.

“Fully honest regarding what, Your Majesty?” He could hear the alarm in her voice, maybe she was thinking that he was planning on ditching the elves’ again and hibernate—

“About the matters I was thinking about.” He cleared his throat, focused his gaze on the tip of a rock jutting out of the lake’s surface. A tiny imperfection in rather placid waters. “As you see, these are trying times. What we are currently experiencing is not permanent, for as long as there is evil lurking out in the world, the wars will not end. Wars will tear apart all known civilization, regardless of race and roots. Wars which will eventually find us again, here in the Emerald Woodland, and maybe by that time, we are not any more prepared for it, as we had been lulled into a sense of security by this peace.

“I mean, Moonlight Archer, is that peace is never permanent. If I throw a pebble now into the lake, it will surely disrupt the perfect façade, and cause chaos, no matter how tiny it is.” He raised his head, hair falling in a white waterfall behind him. The Moon seemed to shine a little bit brighter, now that the Moon Elf King gazed up at it. “The Emerald Woodland is not the same as what it was when I went into slumber. Even if I were to do my best and try bringing it back to its former peaceful state, it would prove to be difficult. Times have changed, so did the evil in the world out there, and I have realized that I am not able to take on both tasks on my own.”

He did not add the always lingering insecurity that, despite having the Code of Moonlight in his hands, Estes still felt helplessly weak. It was a wound which festered over time, and instead of letting it heal, he found himself poking it over and over until it bled again.

“I am planning to go find the root of this evil, and squash it,” he continued, when Miya still hasn’t said anything in reply. “The Queen of Apocalypse plays a huge part in all this mess, yes? I will go face her.”

“But that’s dangerous!” she exclaimed suddenly. “I mean, Your Majesty, I don’t doubt your powers, but you’ll have to face her legions of cohorts before finally facing her in person. Without an army to march behind your back…”

Slowly, Estes turned to face her. Her face was an open book, worry and fear etched on it, her usual sharp fierceness having dissipated for once. He knew the source of it; while she worried about his safety, she worried more about the welfare of the Woodland. Without its king, it would inch towards the brink of hopelessness once more. And Estes’ quest sounded like he had a death wish.

“This is why I’m asking you. I need someone who is brave enough, yet still cares so much for my kingdom.”

Her reaction was unexpected. Instead of looking hesitant, she was… blushing.

_What in the world?_

“Miya.” She started at hearing her name, gaze slowly travelling up to meet his. “If fate allows it, will you go with me? To fight the evil?”

“Oh.” Miya blinked a few times. “You want me to fight with you? But, Your Majesty, just the two of us isn’t enough. Even with my arrows and your power, we still are at risk of failing.”

So she was considering it. This gave Estes a rush of motivation. “We will find others along the way, Miya. I don’t think that I am the only one who wants to end all of this violence once and for all. And we will not leave yet. We will wait until things settle down, and the rest of the kingdom is on its feet again.”

“That’s actually a good plan,” she mumbled, a little unsure. She seemed to think about it for a second, then pinched the bridge of her nose. “Ah, we’ll do it. Train others who’d want to go with us. There are other brave souls in the kingdom, Your Majesty. They fought with me back then.”

He nodded minutely. “Yes, of course. We will accept all help we can get.”

To his surprise, Miya giggled. “Forgive me for assuming this, but, I honestly thought for a moment that you’re about to ask me to marry you.” As straight-forward as the arrows she let fly.

Estes found himself blushing for the second time this night. Now that she’d mentioned it, he couldn’t help but wonder about it. Marrying Miya, or even just pursuing her, after this chaos has been dealt with? It was a heartwarming thought, he admitted to himself. A bright possibility in the future he could look forward to.

He let out a soft chuckle. “It will depend on where our next decisions will lead us,” he said gently, meeting her gaze again despite the still apparent tinge in his cheeks. “But, if ever… in a future where I will ask you to become my queen, will you accept?”

Miya smirked at him. “It’ll be my pleasure to consider it, Your Majesty.”

The Moon Elf King has many regrets in his long life, and, maybe, not asking for the Moonlight Archer’s hand outright was one of them.


End file.
